A Lot of Friday Memes

April 3, 2009
Four For Friday
Q1 - Cybersecurity: Federal legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate this week would give the President of the United States the power to declare a cybersecurity emergency and then shut down the Internet. The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 773, introduced April 1, is aimed at ensuring the continued free flow of commerce within the United States and with its global trading partners through secure cyber communications, to provide for the continued development and exploitation of the Internet and intranet communications for such purposes, and to provide for the development of a cadre of information technology specialists to improve and maintain effective cybersecurity defenses against disruption. On the first point, the one allowing the President of the United States to shut down the Internet, do you believe the President should have this authority and power or should the Internet remain Wild West territory, so to speak?

Seriously? I don't think that is okay. No wonder the Cond-something virus was slated for 1 April. I hate that there are people out there that create harmful viruses for their own personal amusement or to break into other people's accounts, but that doesn't make it okay to give the President the power to do this.

The way Luis explains it I'm not sure that this can actually be done. The Internet is a private entity - millions of computers contribute to its running. How would such a thing be implemented? But I still have issues with the President suddenly exercising power that seems a little outside of his purview - firing executives, shutting down the Internet, changing the tax laws suddenly without passing something - anything - through Congress (not that Congress is comprised of the smartest people, but at least you'd hope that not just one person can do all this stuff...

Q2 - That Guy: We've all seen him and commented to ourselves, I don't want to be "that guy" -- you know the one I'm talking about... he's the guy talking absurdly loud on his cell phone in a coffee shop or wearing the concert T-shirt while at the concert. Got any good "that guy" stories or experiences (either personal or observed)?

I don't think either of us has the time to hear "that guy" stories. Seriously. I do HR and EMS - stupid people stories abound!

Q3 - Government Intrusion: On March 29, 2009, Rick Wagoner agreed to immediately resign his position as Chairman and CEO of General Motors, as part of an Obama administration automotive restructuring plan. Do you think the Obama administration should be dictating strategy and firing CEOs of the companies to which it offers funding? Arguments for include: "The U.S. government (i.e., the American taxpayer) is a major stockholder in GM; why shouldn't it exert the same influence that any other big investor could wield?"; and, "The precedent is already in place. Just ask the former leaders of AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, all of whom who were forced out after federal bailouts." Arguments against include: "Does the government really know what it's doing? Why fire the CEO but let the Board, which supported Wagoner, stay in place? Moreover, if fundamental change is the prescription of the day, why replace Wagoner with a longtime company exec?"; and "AIG, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were different. They were federally regulated to varying extents. GM and Chrysler have no such umbilical cords to Washington D.C." What do you think?

Oh, boy. On the one hand, the CEO (and the board behind him) had a direct hand in all of their issues. But firing or offering a package to an executive is not something to do lightly. This kind of abrupt change can have adverse effects on many different factors. It happens and needs to be done but for the government (who has shown SO much wisdom in business matters) to just step in and fire the CEO...? I'd closely examine the board as well. And maybe the lower level of management that reported to the CEO (in an operation that large they'd be VPs, I suppose) as well. Stupidity on that level is not usually one person.

I have zero sympathy for AIG, GM and Chrysler. I don't know the answer to these problems but I have heard what kind of gaffs they made and I really can't see how they could get out of it. Sticking it to them is okay. I just hope I get my LOSAP money from AIG. Those rotten SOBs...

Q4 - Change: What would you do if this happened to you? A friend of mine recently went to the bank to make a deposit for her employer. Included in the deposit was six dollars or so in change (i.e., coins). Upon presenting the entire deposit (which included a number of large and small bills in addition to the coins), the teller told my friend, "Sorry, I don't have time to count change today, so either come back with bills or come back some other time when we're not as busy as we are today".

EXCUSE ME?! Oh, no, no, no. I am the customer, therefore, you work for me. Make the time right now. If this was a serious problem you should have closed the door and put up a sign "We are incapable of servicing our clients". But I'm here and this needs to be done. Your not being prepared is not my problem. Even better, most banks have something that the coins are dumped in and counted for the teller. Please tell me how this is a problem?!

March 27, 2009
Four For Friday
Q1 - Lost & Found: After three weeks on the run, earlier today a friend's cat finally returned home (much to the delight of their youngest daughter who was very skeptical about Tiger's eventual return). Name one material possession you've lost that you really wish you could find.

All the images that I'd taken that now I cannot find. And the ones on my old hard disc drive that are locked up on it and inaccessible.

Q2 - Discount: In an attempt to increase business and branding, my Mom's bed & breakfast recently began offering a 50% discount on all rooms through April 15 (offer subject to availability and some restrictions do apply). Generally speaking, for any product or service, what 'percentage off' do you consider a good deal or enough of a deal to garner your serious attention and consideration?

I usually am leary of a good deal but any more. Good deals are a sign of the times. I'll take advantage of it while we have it, because when the real recession shows up, all the prices will go through the roof. So I'm not so suspicious right now.

Q3 - Groceries: Compared to this time last year, are you buying more, less, or about the same amount of groceries? Related: What about organic fruits and vegetables?

Same amount. I don't change my shopping habits much unless my own finances are affected. No, I don't buy organic fruits and vegetables.

Q4 - Preparedness : After nearly four years of declining public confidence in the nation's military preparedness, Gallup's annual World Affairs survey documents a sharp reversal. Currently, 54% of Americans say the country's national defense is about right, up from 41% a year ago. What do you think?

I'm so unqualified to answer that, it beggars the imagination. I don't know.

March 20, 2009
Four For Friday
Q1 - Replacement: If you had to choose one item from your home to represent you in a photograph, what would you choose?

Uh... I don't know. The waterbed? My hanging chair? All the books? Maybe the cat...

Q2 - Banking: Do you bank the old-fashioned way--inside your bank's local branch--or do you conduct your banking online or through an ATM machine? Related: Do you bank with a national banking institution (think: Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan Chase, etc.) or a locally owned community bank?

I do all of my banking online. I don't even have a physical bank! I'm sure it is national.

Q3 - Global Warming: Historically, support for environmental protection in the United States has been relatively nonpartisan. Republicans pointed with pride to Theodore Roosevelt's crucial role in promoting the conservation of natural resources by establishing national parks and forests, and Democrats applauded Franklin Delano Roosevelt's efforts to include conservation as part of the "New Deal" via the Soil Conservation Service and related programs. Although a majority of Americans believe the seriousness of global warming is either correctly portrayed in the news or underestimated, a record-high 41%, according to new Gallup poll, now say it is exaggerated (and most of those who feel that way are Republicans). The 2009 Gallup Environment survey measured public concern about eight specific environmental issues. Not only does global warming rank last on the basis of the total percentage concerned either a great deal or a fair amount, but it is the only issue for which public concern dropped significantly in the past year (pollution of drinking water and toxic contamination of water and soil ranked highest). Do you believe global warming is a serious problem caused by humans, a natural occurrence, or a bunch of made up hooey?

It is not hooey, but it is well overexaggerated. The fact is, the environment will always have heating and cooling periods. I have no doubt that we harmed the environment and need to make that right, but otherwise there are going to be times when glaciers will grow and there will be times when they will melt. In the 1970s we had a mini ice age; now not so much. Panic over normal shifts in the earth's set up won't change anything.

Q4 - LEGOS: On this date in 1999, LEGOLAND California--the only LEGOLAND outside of Europe--opened in Carlsbad, California. If you could afford to commission (warning: pop-up window ahead) full-time LEGO artist Sean Kenney to make anything for you, what would you ask him to create?

The Solar System, not to natural scale, but the planets have to be to scale in relationship to the sun and each other. All the satelites must be represented and have to match in size as well.

March 13, 2009
Four For Friday
Q1 - Work it Out: The week-long "feud of the century" reached its climax last night as Jon Stewart welcomed freshly minted nemesis Jim Cramer to "The Daily Show." Cramer, who hosts a CNBC show called "Mad Money" had figured heavily in a "Daily Show" piece highlighting that network's poor track record on the financial apocalypse ("If I only followed CNBC's advice," Stewart said then. "I'd have a million dollars today -- provided I'd started with $100 million.") When Cramer objected publicly to what he considered unfair treatment, Stewart and his writers, smelling comedy blood, turned their sights toward him. Or, as Stewart described it last night, "We threw some Boston Cream pies at CNBC, you got a little shmutz on your jacket from it, you took exception, and then we decided to hit you with more pies." If you could compel two public figures to 'work it out' on live television, who would you put into each of two chairs?

This is like reading a novel. I don't know either Jon Stewart or Jim Cramer, but I applaud Jon Stewart for throwing more pies at someone who took it all too seriously. I always appreciate that sort of thing. This guy Jim Cramer should have let it go. I can't answer the question, though. I'm not informed enough to pick the people when I don't know most of them.

Q2 - Sacred Places: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Borrego Springs, California, now offers an AT&T-powered Wi-Fi service enabling park visitors with wireless enabled laptop computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access the Internet. Should Internet access be offered to state and national park visitors, or are some places meant to remain off the grid.

Um... well... from a safety standpoint I would be okay with cell phone access but only to 9-1-1 and nothing else. I personally would want to access my laptop and/or PDA but I would have to be honest and say that some places should remain pristine and unwired. I know how annoying it is to see people using cell phones in malls and grocery stores.

Q3 - Sentencing: Muntadhar al-Zaidi -- the Iraqi broadcast journalist who removed and then threw his shoes at George Bush in mid-December of 2008 -- was sentenced this week to three years of prison for "assaulting a foreign leader." Mr. al-Zaidi, who served as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egyptian-based Al-Baghdadia TV, often reported on the plight of widows, orphans, and children in the Iraq War, and himself was kidnapped and beaten while on his way to work in central Baghdad in 2007. If the shoe was on the other foot, so to speak, and you were the judge in the case, how would you have sentenced al-Zaidi?

Hey! Someone threw his shoes at the W? I love it. Did he manage to hit him, too? Not that it would make the W any smarter. I would not have given him jail time. I would not give jail time to anyone who in a moment of frustration tossed his footwear at someone. Community service... but the question is, what kind? I'd have to think about that.

Q4 - Building: There's a $28 million home near mine that goes on the auction block tomorrow morning because its owner let it fall into foreclosure. If you could own any building in the world, what building would you choose to own and what would you do with it?

Um... I haven't ever thought of it. What would I do with an edifice that large? That is a completely rediculous amount of money for a house. I wouldn't mind a $1,000,000 house but $28,000,000? Hmmm. Make into a halfway house! Heh, heh, heh. Imagine what the neighbours would think!

March 6, 2009
Four For Friday - The Either/Or Edition
Q1 - Homeownership: Burden or Joy? Anyone who tells you that owning a house has no burdening moments is lying. Same with anyone who tells me that their children are perfect angels and never misbehave. But overall, it is joyous to own a house. I love it.

Q2 - School Year: Make it longer to boost students' academic achievements or shorter or the same so kids can be kids? Make it longer. You have no idea how disappointed I was to discover that work is all year round, not just nine months. Kids should have the holidays off as now, spring break, a couple weeks in August, but otherwise, they should be in school. Especially with the world having both parents working. How many couples do you know with only one earning adult?

Q3 - Weekend: Saturday morning or Sunday morning? Uh, what? Saturday or Sunday morning for what? They are mostly the same.

Q4 - Quickly: Instant Messaging or Texting? No way, neither. I don't do either one.

Bonus Question:
Q5 - Newspaper: Hardcopy or Online edition? Also neither. I don't watch or read the news.